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Re: Lotion Makers..... please read....

A funnel will work indeed. Despite many years of effort, I have never mastered the use of a pastry bag for frosting, cookie dough, lotion or anything else. Useless IMHO. Perhaps a properly trained chef can make it work!

The other differences are mostly about texture. Body lotions/creams/etc are intended for the whole body, and hand products for the hands. Some of us who do needlework are picky about products that leave residues. (Udder cream is great!)

Salves are "medicinal" (but be careful here not to make claims, or you're a drug not a cosmetic, and in FDA Hell) and used for burns, drawing splinters, muscle relief, etc. These are usually sold in the little flat tins.

Butters usually include shea/mango/olive or other butters that have a texture just like they sound like they do. (Think the differences between Crisco Oil and Crisco Shortening.) Lotion bars are a big deal now, and some men will use those, who would not otherwise bother.

I really like Mountain Mist Sage soap making supply at the sage dot com. Read the descriptions of their products and don't forget lotions need a preservative. (Learned that one the hard way! )

Re: Lotion Makers..... please read....

Chef,

I make a lotion bar in a twist up tube and tins, people really like it for elbows and nuckles I add vanilla oil for a nice scent without it being overpowering. I haven't found a good recipe for a softer lotion yet that I like well enough to sell.

Re: Lotion Makers..... please read....

Jeff:

Do you have a recipe for your lotion bar?

I will be tightening up the lotion (soft) recipe in the next two weeks and I can pass it on to you if you would like. The base recipe is great. Now dealing with a little speration issues. But I am hopping to have that under control soon!

Re: Lotion Makers..... please read....

I just lately started using plastic syringes (without the needle) that you can get at a veterinarian clinic. I used to pour out of my pan or from a little creamer pitcher but always seemed to dribble on the outside of the jars. The syringes work really good and clean up pretty good with a baby bottle brush and hot soapy water.

Re: Lotion Makers..... please read....

I use a disposable pastry bag to fill lotion bottles. It works best if you fill before the lotion has cooled.

In general, both lotions and creams are emulsions of oil in water. IIRC, though, if you are using beeswax & borax as your emulsifier, it is a water in oil emulsion. The basic difference between lotions and creams is the proportions of oil/water/emulsifier. 'Lotion bars' serve the same purpose as a lotion - to soften skin- but they are not emulsified and are not a true lotion.

I second the need for a preservative in any emulsified product. Mold is natural too.

Re: Lotion Makers..... please read....

i am having a problem with the lotion seperating after a couple of days. It has beeswax and borax in it. People tell me I need a better emlusifiying wax. I tried lecathin however the color was an issue and it smelled as well. I ordered some veg emulisfying wax to see how that works.

Re: Lotion Makers..... please read....

Originally Posted by Chef Isaac

any advice?

Take my advice with a grain of salt. I don't make lotion very often because I don't really enjoy the process.

Beeswax emulsions are more finicky than ones made with commercial emulsifying wax. That was why there was a perceived need to develop the commercial products, after all. Your separation might be caused by the wrong proportion of water to oil. Or by not enough whipping during emulsification. Or by temperature differences between the oil mixture and the liquid.

The best way to figure things out is to make multiple small batches and change only one variable at a time. Keep careful notes about temperature. Weigh ingredients precisely. It is easier to use a recipe based on %, and to make batches that are weighed in grams if you are making experimental batches. 200g total, mixed with a tiny cappuccino frother is a manageable amount that won't break the bank.

I've used powdered lecithin at 1/2% IIRC, with no odor or offensive discoloration. Xanthan gum is another possible additive that I've played with.

If you want, post your recipe that you used and I'll see if there are any red flags.

Re: Lotion Makers..... please read....

Chef,
I can't seem to find any of my books right now, but the "Soapmaker's Companion" by Susan Miller Cavitch is one of my favorites and has some really good recipes for lotions. Your ingredients seem about right but I can't find my book to comment on proportions. I have used the book's recipes and have lotions that have been stable for over a year with no sign of going rancid. I highly recommend this book for people that not only want recipes but desire to understand the nature of the ingredients and the chemistry a little bit. The chemistry of soap making has been reduced to laymen's terms and is quite useful for those without a chemistry background. The section on lip balms and lotions has a little background info that is useful.

Re: Lotion Makers..... please read....

From someone who used to be involved with making emulsions. I can state this, the slower they are put together with a good mixer the longer they will stay together. So maybe you need to add the ingredients together slower than you currently are. Of course I mean when putting the 2 phases together. Doesn't really matter how fast you mix the oils together or the water side, but when you put then together, do that part slower. We had emulsions that if we put them together fast would be milky white watery emulsions that would fall apart in hours or days, VS same ingredients added together slowly would create a mayo type emusion that stayed together for years.

Re: Lotion Makers..... please read....

any other ideas or suggestions as why it breaks?

I tried the recipe again, using 50 percent beeswax and 50 percent vegetable emulsifing wax. Next day, seems like the first squeeze is a little watery on hte outside edges but the second squeze was oerfect consistancy.

I mixed this in my mixer. I wonder if I should do it in a food blender.

Re: Lotion Makers..... please read....

A (dedicated to cosmetics only) stick blender is key. As is patience, ingredient temperature and room temperature and humidity. In other words, it can be a lot like fussy baking or candy making!

As a woman who uses lotion frequently, I ALWAYS shake the bottle when I pick it up, before I squeeze. Just a habit I learned thru the years. Maybe that will help.

Personally, I dislike castor oil for anything besides lip balms. But I do LOTS of hand work and needlework, and I don't want residue. Castor and jojoba oils are "heavier" than primrose, almond, sunflower, etc. I'd also consider reducing the glycerin and replacing with water, or aloe extract -- aloe dissolved in a carrier oil. There are some finely powdered clays that are nice in soaps but I have never tried them in lotion. Maybe an avenue to explore?

Like any other recipe, there is a certain amount of finessing that goes along with it.

If you have samples from "failed" batches to get rid of, I am sure several of us would volunteer to "test" them.